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6- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 22, 1994 Be a SS "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" FE Dr ROT EY MN SIDI PILAR I PAV Ls Q TORIAL Editorial Comment Township-wide plan is good When residents in the rural areas of Scugog Township got wind a couple of weeks ago of a plan by the local council to expand roadside garbage pick-up to all homes in the municipality, they met can- didates at the door, and gave them what for. According to one Ward 1 candidate, the response was a resounding NO. Therefore, council last night was poised to reconsider the motion that was aimed at bringing the service to homes throughout Scugog. There are a number of arguments here. First, the residents rebelled against what they see as an addition to the al- ready overwhelming burden of taxes -- municipal, regional, provincial, federal -- that threaten to strangle many house- holds. It is their right to say no to another expense. Second, the council is right to take heed of the argument being put forth by the rural residents. They have raised the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" argument when discussing the matter, and the sat- isfactory operation of the township's transfer stations, which are well-used by the people of Scugog. And third, the councillors who pushed the scheme were right to do so. The township plan would have seen the service extended to all homes in the township at a cost of just over $30 annu- ally. That would seem a small price to pay, and would actually be a decrease in the cost for those now receiving pick-up, who pay, on average, around $80. The argument for transfer stations is valid, but may not be so for long. The re- gion will continue to look for ways to slash expenditures as cutbacks trickle down from the province, and it's a good bet at least some of the transfer stations now in existence will be on the chopping block. As time goes on, perhaps all of them will be. Township-wide pick up makes sense, and may well be an inevitability. Farewell, Mr. Graham Monday marked the last day that Har- vey Graham, the township's ward council- lor, will serve the municipality. He will be missed. He has proven to be a voice of reason and conciliation, and good, old-fashioned common sense. We wish him all the best. li -- (RAK OFF THEY Re Mie NEWS ITEM: Scugog Council's decision for Township-wide garbage pickup meets with resistance from rural homeowners. Sw. T- = Plc \ C Sp SO is o> = Seana ." ET eS Carol Williamson, Barb Siebarth, Pat Pictured are the chartered 'members of the Beta: row from left are: Jan Towns, Lois Bushell, Carol Bailey, Bunny Rowland, Alma Spear, Dianna Findlay, Glen Williamson, Fran Sluggett and Shirley Baster. CE AEE I ETTERS Election signs are an eyesore To the Editor: Whew! The municipal elections are fi- nally over. Does anyone else find the presence of all those gaudy signs every- where an annoyance? What purpose do they serve anyway? If I'm one of the people who don't vote, then the signs don't mean a thing. If I'm one of the people who do vote, I'm not go- ing to base my decision on the size and number of signs I see around town. People who vote want to be informed about the candidate's opinion on the is- sues facing our township, not just what their name is and what they are running for. Perhaps signs were okay 30 years ago before we ran out of space to put all our garbage, but I think their time and the need for them has passed. Even signs which are re-used or recycled eventually become garbage. If you think its bad in Scugog Township, take a drive down Simcoe Street in Oshawa. It reminds me of children trying to one-up each other. Well, guess what? Two candidates didn't put any signs up, and one of them won! Because of her environmental con- cerns, Joyce Kelly in Ward 4 knocked on doors, handed out leaflets, and made her views known through the press and the all-candidates meeting. Way to go, Joyce! While Bob Brooks did not win his bid for school board trustee, I'm sure every- one was aware that he was running be- fore voting day. It proves that voters Turn to page 7 by J. Peter Hvidsten AN ADDITION TO OUR FAMILY What started out as a routine photo assign- ment last week ended with an addition to our family. As if a hyperactive ten-year-old boy, twins, a lazy old Pug and a oversized Tom cat weren't enough, we now have a six-week old pup. it all happened quite innocently while taking pictures of orphaned animals at the local animal shelter last Tuesday morning. Remember, that was the morning follow- ing the municipal election, and with only three hours sleep under my belt I'm prob- ably lucky that's all | came home with. But the sight of this little sad faced, gold- en colored, cross-bred pup with big brown eyes, was too much for me to handle. So | left with 20 pictures on my film and one very live pup in my arms. To the kids | was an instant hero! Mom, who | was concerned might point me to the door, melted like hot butter at the first sight of the little fella. Tom (the cat) has already had one en- counter with Farley (that's the pup), but a single swat with his declawed paw across the snout has taught little Farley to stay clear of this moody feline. - Dolly (the other dog) has become an unwilling surrogate mother, although she's not thrilled having a six-week old pup with razor sharp teeth gnawing at her undercar- riage, looking for spigots to suck. Dolly's a ten-year old Pug, who's never had a hankering to be a mom, let alone have some 'punk' pup trying to share her bed and chew on her body. Aside from having to step around a few puddles on the kitchen floor in the morning, this little fella has been great. In fact, almost one week after bringing the pooch home, we have yet to hear him bark. ~ ~ ~ For those wondering why we named our pup 'Farley', here's the answer. | had a dog called Farley many years ago, and he was one of the best I've ever owned. The kids have heard me talk about him over the years and they decided it would be a good name for our new dog. Besides, my other great dog was named Sam, and somehow 'Son of Sam' just didn't cut it!